By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
EAU CLAIRE - It wasn't a good night Tuesday for Brandywine's varsity basketball team as the Bobcats suffered an 81-67 loss to host Eau Claire in non-conference action.
Brandywine had problems controlling a few of the Beavers' players, including senior Chris Moore, who played a tough inside game, and Jason Ott, who was unstoppable at the three-point arc.
The game didn't get off to a bumpy start though, as the Bobcats stayed within a few points of the lead throughout the first period, even going ahead 10-6 with 4:23 on the clock.
But the lead was short lived and was the last Brandywine would see for the rest of the game.
After a 22-14 advantage in the first, Eau Claire extended the lead to 42-32 at halftime.
Trailing 25-22 with 3:32 left in the first half, Ott hit his first of three 3-pointers in a row to bump the Beavers' lead to six. But a bucket from Adam Prescott cut the lead to four, 28-24, with three minutes to play.
Ott made another successful three-pointer for Eau Claire and was fouled in the process, giving him a free bucket and a successful four-point play.
Prescott again came through with a bucket for Brandywine on its next posession, but another three from Ott gave Eau Claire a 37-26 lead with 1:55 to play in the second period and the Beavers never looked back.
Brandywine, now 2-6 overall, will be looking for a win on Friday when it travels to Cassopolis for a Lakeland Conference game. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.